In a meet that could preview the NCAA Championships in a few weeks, No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Florida, and No. 7 Missouri will square off for the SEC title. While the contest is expected to be a tight race between Oklahoma, LSU, and Florida, Missouri is poised to put up a strong challenge if any of the top teams falter. The Tigers have been remarkably consistent all season, with their scores steadily climbing, including a season-high 198.100 against Auburn. Missouri will look to improve upon its 197.200 road score and make a statement heading into postseason play.
Oklahoma and LSU, the top two ranked teams in the country, are set for another exciting showdown. While the Sooners triumphed over the Tigers in January, LSU responded with a win in a home dual meet. Florida, after posting a statement-making 198.625 on senior night, currently holds the highest team score of the season. Though some may question whether home scoring inflated that performance, the level of gymnastics on display makes Florida a legitimate threat to Oklahoma and LSU.
Rotation 1: Oklahoma VT, LSU UB, Missouri BB, Florida FX
Pederson (VT): 1.5, step forwards – 9.850
Zeiss (UB): Hop back on the full-in dismount. Hit routine – 9.875
Mueller (BB): Big check on the split jump 3/4, front toss is a little deep, stuck 1.5. 9.725 – starting off pretty high
Nguyen (FX): Front 2/1 to split jump, 1.5 to layout, good rise. 9.875
Torrez (VT): Hop forward on the 1.5. 9.850
Cowan (UB): Ray to bail, catches the Ray a tad close, stuck double layout.
Wier (BB): Front aerial to BHS BHS, stuck gainer dismount. Got things back on track. 9.8
Disidore (FX): Rudi to stag but is a little short and has to do a little birdy flap to save it, 1.5 to layout, would like to see more landing control. 9.850
Wells (VT): 1.5 – the most controlled one of this lineup so far, but still takes a little hop. 9.9
Chio (UB): Maloney to bail, Markelov, nice, stuck full-in, a little deep. 9.950
Celestine (BB): BHS to side aerial, small waver, split jump to 3/4, stuck gainer full. 9.750 – Missouri will have to count this score.
Clark (FX): Huge double layout, switch full to Popa, good amplitude, front to double tuck, good finish. 9.9
Fatta (VT): 1.5 – lunge forwards. Still no sticks for OU. 9.875
Finnegan (UB): Deltchev, toe-on to bail, small arch on the catch, stuck full-in, great. 9.950
Wong (FX): Double layout, some starfishing, gets her dance series around fine, whip half to front full, great control. 9.850
Mueller (VT): 1.5 – gets the first stick for the Sooners. 9.950
McClain (UB): Church to Pak, gets the handstand position, great handstands, step back on the full-in.
Kelly (BB): Important routine since Missouri still has no scores above 9.8. Gets the hit with a stuck 1.5. 9.850
Harris-Miranda (FX): Front through to double-tuck, 1.5 to Barandi to big stag jump. 9.9
Bowers (VT): Very large lunge on the 1.5. 9.8
Hu (BB): Missouri needs this score. Front aerial to front aerial, great rhythm, looked a little tentative in the jump series, stuck gainer pike dismount. 9.925
Ferris (FX): Full-in, some legs in the air, switch side to Popa, 1.5 to layout, just gets the rotation around looked like she almost buckled after the 1.5.
AFTER ONE: LSU 49.600, Oklahoma 49.425, Missouri 49.125, Florida 49.375
LSU with a strong opening rotation on bars. Oklahoma struggled with vault landings which could put them in a bit of a hole. Missouri will need to bring it on floor to get them out of a meh beam rotation.
Rotation 2: Florida VT, Oklahoma UB, LSU BB, Missouri FX
Pilgrim (VT): 9.925 for her 1.5
Sievers (UB): Missed the pirouette and had to redo the kip-cast
Ballard (BB): Solid BHS LOSO, front toss, stuck double-full.
Nguyen (VT): Shuffle forwards on the 1.5. 9.850
Pederson (UB): Maloney to Pak, a little late on the pirouette, stuck double layout.
Coen (BB): Front aerial to beat jump, BHS LOSO, double-full stuck.
LSU is bringing it
Horton (FX): HUMONGOUS full-in with the first flip almost totally laid out, front tuck to double-tuck.
Ferris (VT): 1.5 with a big lunge forward.
Fatta (UB): Church to Pak, nice, gets the handstand positions, double layout with a scoot back.
Chio (BB): BHS mount, BHS LOSO, solid, switch leap to split jump, front aerial to split jump, 1.5 with a hop.
Bui (VT): Small hop on the 1.5. 9.850
Torrez (UB): Ray to Pak, toe-on to Pak, catches sooo far away and isn’t able to cast out of it, double layout hop and step. 9.775 despite the mistake.
McClain (BB): Switch to switch half, front aerial to BHS but has a leeetle hesitancy in the connection, stuck gainer full.
Davis (UB): Floaty Jaeger, great handstands, Higgins to stuck double front-half, important recovery for the Sooners. 9.975
Bryant (BB): Standing front tuck, solid, Rudi with a slide back. 9.925
Griffin (FX): Double pike with some knees, missed the rest of the routine but it was a hit. 9.950
Harris-Miranda (VT): Stuck 1.5, she has such an uncanny ability to stick this vault. First 10 of these championships!
Finnegan (BB): BHS LOSO LOSO, front aerial, solid, stuck gainer full.
Bowers (UB): Jaeger, clean, Pak, good handstands, step back on the full-in. 9.9
Moore (FX): Double layout, controlled landing, front tuck to double tuck, effortless. 9.950
AFTER TWO: LSU 99.050, Oklahoma 98.975, Florida 98.875, Missouri 98.725
LSU is looking very precise on everything. Oklahoma is close behind, but I’m surprised at how much the Sooners are giving away on landings. Florida’s 49.500, highlighted by Harris’ 10.0, will keep the Gators on par with the Tigers and Sooners. Missouri’s 49.600 will help it get things back on track.
Trinity Thomas calling out some scores that were too high. Preach!
Rotation 3: Missouri VT, Florida UB, Oklahoma BB, LSU FX
Griffin open Missouri on vault with a 9.8
Pilgrim (UB): Pak, clean, VL, some leg separations, has to hoooold the full-in but I think she did slide forward.
Davis (BB): BHS LOSO, split to split ring jump, double-full stuck.
Coen (FX): Front double-full, front layout to full, good rise, switch full to Popa to Popa, doesn’t get the second one around.
Kelly (VT): Nice amplitude on the FTY, some piking down and a hop back.
Blakely (UB): Ricna to Pak, great handstands, a little late on the Higgins, I think she stuck the double-front half? Owen was standing in the way. 9.950
Fatta (BB): BHS LOSO, great, aerial, stuck BHS gainer full. 9.875
Ballard (FX): Very deep on the double layout and has to squat to save it, 1.5 to layout, good recovery. Switch ring to switch half. 9.775
Tisler (VT): Deep on the FTY with a hop forward.
Wong (UB): Maloney to Pak, VL, nice handstands, stuck double layout. Second 10 of the night.
Pederson (BB): BHS LOSO, tiny check, hitch kick to switch half, clean side somi, stuck double-full. Back on track with the sticks. 9.9
Chio (FX): Full-out, great, 2.5 to punch front, great rise.
Horton (VT): 1.5 with a medium hop forward.
Harris-Miranda (UB): Huge Ray, bail, great handstands, stuck double layout, body shape is a bit questionable? 9.95
Bowers (BB): Didn’t type this up but hit routine, hop on the double-full dismount. 9.875
Drayton (FX): Double layout, great amplitude, front to double tuck.
Arana (FX): Maloney to Pak, shy on the pirouette, hooolds the double layout stick.
Siegfeldt (BB): Front aerial to split jump, nice, off on the BHS LOSO, uh oh first miss for OU. 9.4
Finnegan (FX): Double Arabian to stag jump is clean, switch leap to switch full, 2.5 to punch front and has to really pull the front tuck around, step back.
Celestine (VT): Hop on the 1.5 –
McCusker (UB): Maloney to Pak, VL, floaty, stalder to stuck double tuck. So happy for her! OH she got a 10 which will give Florida a 49.850 on bars, a program record.
Torrez (BB): Aerial to LOSO, tiny check, huge rise on the gainer full.
AFTER THREE: Florida 148.725, LSU 148.675, Oklahoma 148.450, Missouri 147.825
Florida jumps ahead of LSU and Oklahoma after a program record bar rotation. The Gators will need to carry that momentum onto beam, an event they’ve struggled with consistency on this season. The Sooners had a less-than-ideal beam rotation with lots of little mistakes that widened the gap between them and the top two teams.
Rotation 4: LSU VT, Missouri UB, Florida BB, Oklahoma FX
Johnson (VT): Massive FTY, flares it out, hop in place. 9.875
Draser (BB): BHS LOSO, I missed the rest but stuck the 1.5 dismount. 9.850
Davis (FX): Will need to make up some ground after beam, double-full to open, didn’t get a lot of rise and juuust squeaked the twist around, 1.5 to front full.
Zeiss (VT): Looks like she almost got the stick for the 1.5 but then took a small step.
Pilgrim (BB): BHS LOSO, check, solid hitch kick to front aerial, smooth dance series, gainer full stuck. 9.8
Horton (UB): hop forward on the double layout dismount. Hit routine.
Sievers (FX): Starting the routine off with some music issues, double pike, some knees, controlled lunge, short on the double tuck and has to hop forward and has some chest down. 9.800
Finnegan (VT): Small hop on the 1.5.
Nguyen (BB): Florida losing some ground to LSU so this needs to be a good one. Onodi to BHS, smooth, switch leap to split jump, 1.5 to hop
Moore (UB): Basically does the floatiest Tkatchev to bail ever done, stuck full-in dismount.
Drayton (VT): Big hop and step on the 1.5.
Mueller (FX): Front tuck to double tuck, short and has to take a step forward. Front layout to Rudi, short again, switch full to Popa. 9.850 is pretty generous.
Wong (BB): Switch leap to break, misses the leap connection, front aerial to split straddle, BHS LOSO, good, does a switch ring, gainer tuck full. I think this might have a SV issue. Really interesting she doesn’t have a backup series. 9.675 is gonna hurt
Kelly (UB): Huge Church to bail, catches close, chest down on the double tuck to hold the stick.
Chio (VT): Tiny hop on the 1.5.
Oklahoma is making lots of uncharacteristic mistakes on floor
Fatta (FX): Front double-full to open to stag, front tuck to bent arms and has to do a double-full instead of a 2.5. The wheels are starting to come off the bus for OU. 9.8 hmmm?
Celestine (UB): Maloney to Pak, clean, VL, stalder pike-half dismount, step back.
Harris-Miranda (BB): BHS LOSO BHS, great, switch leap to straddle half, hop back on the 1.5. 9.825
Bowers (FX): Wonderful front double-full to front tuck, big rise on the double-pike, truly nobody is doing it like her.
Bryant (VT): Her normal huge spectacular front pike-half, shuffle on the landing. 9.950
Arana (BB): BHS LOSO, clean, front aerial to lean, switch leap to pause to switch half, stuck gainer full. 9.775 will count.
Torrez (FX): BIG double layout, switch full to wolf full, controlled front to double tuck, good chest position. 10!
Titarsolej (UB): Maloney to Pak, legs are glued together, perfect handstands, blind full to stuck double tuck. Great. Another 10 – looks like the 10 fear from earlier this season is starting to fade away.
FINAL: LSU 198.200, Oklahoma 197.925, Florida 197.825, Missouri 197.400
LSU takes the SEC-crown and the moves ahead of Oklahoma for the no. 1 team in the country heading into post-season. Florida looked like they were in prime position to win for a second, but the Gators succumbed to some beam woes that held them back. Missouri wasn’t expected to challenge the top three teams, but a 197.400 will help the Tigers raise their NQS marginally, but it won’t be enough to fend off Cal for the no. 6 position.
VT: Harris-Miranda (Florida)
UB: Wong, McCusker (Florida), Titarsolej (Missouri)
BB: Bryant, Finnegan (LSU), Hu (Missouri), Torrez (Oklahoma)
FX: Torrez (Oklahoma)
AA: Bryant (LSU)
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Live blog by Daniel Rothwell
